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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

Purdue University photo release

Apollo module replica taking shape

Purdue workers move one piece of the full-scale replica of the Apollo 1 command module into the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering on Tuesday (Oct. 9, 2007).

The capsule, on loan from the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, in Hutchinson, Kan., will be assembled next week and on display during the hall's official dedication on Oct. 27. In 1967, two of the Apollo 1 astronauts, Purdue graduates Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee, died in a fire during a launch pad training exercise in the capsule.

The capsule is on loan from the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center and will hang from the ceiling in the atrium of Armstrong Hall. The 13-foot diameter replica is the same as the capsule on the outside but is hollow inside.

Amy Noah, director of advancement for Purdue's College of Engineering, said the loan is indefinite, but only a two-year contract has been signed so far. She said the university plans to keep the capsule in the building as long as possible.

The Apollo 1 replica is to be exhibited near Roger Chaffee's moon rock-embedded NASA Ambassador of Exploration Award. From Purdue University:

Piece of the moon lands at Purdue

Martha Chaffee presented a moon rock particle to Purdue President France A. Córdova on Saturday, Oct. 6, during half time of the Purdue-Ohio State football game.

Chaffee, widow of astronaut and Purdue alumnus Roger Chaffee, permanently loaned the lunar sample to Purdue through a NASA program that allows select former astronauts or their spouses to give samples to the educational institution of their choice. Roger Chaffee earned his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue in 1957. He was killed in 1967, along with Purdue alumnus Virgil "Gus" Grissom and fellow astronaut Ed White, in a launch pad fire while training for NASA's first Apollo mission.

The moon particle was collected in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission commanded by Eugene Cernan, a Purdue alumnus and the last astronaut to walk on the moon. It weighs about 2 grams, or roughly as much as two U.S. dollar bills.

One question though is the rather bulbous heat shield on this model. It does not look like the other Block 1 Apollos.

dtemple

I noticed that, too. Then I noticed that the people in the photo look a bit narrow and tall. I believe the size of the photo was adjusted (narrowed) without making the same percentage reduction in height.

I assume this replica is shown unfinished since there is no apex cover present nor does there appear to be "UNITED STATES" and the American flag at the +Y/-Y axis positions. The scimitar antennas are not present either (at least judging by the area in view).

Otherwise it looks very detailed and even includes the markings over the control rockets.

Robert Pearlman

With regards to the apex cover, you can see a picture of it in the Lafayette Journal and Courier article linked above.

dtemple

quote:Originally posted by Choose2Go: I'd say this was taken with a wide angle lens and exhibits some 'fish-eye' effect, but the bottom still looks big. Is this the J-Lo of spacecraft?

Now that I look at the background I see that a wide-angle lens was used to take the photo. However, I still believe the aspect ratio is largely responsible for the appearance of the replica CM.

Robert Pearlman

Purdue University photo release

Apollo capsule makes a journey to new space

Workers move a full-scale replica of the Apollo 1 command module into place inside the atrium of Purdue's Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering on Wednesday (Oct. 17). The capsule, on loan from the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kan., will be on display during the hall's official dedication on Oct. 27.

In 1967 two of the Apollo 1 astronauts, Purdue graduates Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee, died in a fire during a launch pad training exercise in the capsule. Construction is complete on Purdue's $53.2 million Neil Armstrong Hall. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, will be honored with a series of events, including the dedication of the new building at his alma mater, on Oct. 26-Oct. 27.

A bronze sculpture of Armstrong as a college student will be unveiled on Oct. 26. Leading away from the statue are moon boot impressions reminiscent of Armstrong's historic lunar excursion.

Choose2Go

I'll assume this is now at the height it wil remain, well off the first floor but easily viewable from the second. At the distance from the camera any distortion from a wide angle lens would be minimized, so I still wonder at the bulbous heat shield. Hmm...

dtemple

Yes, I believe the heatshield is a bit "bulbous." This view seems to confirm that. It is also supposed to be white.

A replica of an early 1960s space plane that paved the way for future reusable spacecraft, including the space shuttle, is on permanent display in the atrium of Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering.

The replica hypersonic space plane, called the X-20 Dyna-Soar, was unveiled in October. It was a gift to the College of Engineering from Boeing Co., which developed it through a U.S. Air Force program to create a manned, military space plane.

The X-20 program aimed to create a space plane that was also capable of atmospheric re-entry and that could be used for a variety of missions, including reconnaissance and strategic bombing. The space plane was designed for launch from a Titan II or Titan III rocket into a low-earth orbit of 150-300 miles. Its maximum speed was 17,500 mph.

The Air Force had selected Armstrong, who later would become the first man to walk on the moon, as its first pilot-engineer. Additionally, a 1950 Purdue graduate, Henry Gordon, also was designated as one of the first text pilots. However, the X-20 program was canceled shortly after the space plane's manufacturing began, and the plane never saw flight.

Despite that fact, the engineering advancements made while developing the X-20 directly influenced the space shuttle's creation, experts say.

Before his death in 2012, Armstrong endorsed the display of the X-20 in the building named in his honor due to the space plane's place in engineering history and its unique appearance.

Among those who attended the unveiling ceremony in October were Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering; Mark Burgess, Boeing's engineering operations and technology chief officer; and Darryl Davis, president of Phantom Works, a prototyping arm of Boeing. Burgess and Davis received bachelor's degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue.

During the unveiling ceremony, Davis told attendees that the gift also symbolizes the strong relationship between Boeing and Purdue.

"I hope (the) X-20 Dyna-Soar mockup will stand as a reminder to you of Purdue's critical and ongoing role in science, engineering, space exploration and exploring new frontiers," Davis said.